THROWBACK THURSDAY: Talk Talk – Life’s What You Make It (Dominic Woosey Remix) [August 1990]

This week saw the unfortunate passing of Mark Hollis, the lead singer of Talk Talk, and the man who oversaw the group’s synthesis from a new wave chart act to art pop pioneers in the mid 80s.

Having hit the big time with tracks such as It’s My Life and Such A Shame, the mid 80s saw Talk Talk ‘do a Beatles’ and retire to the studio, to explore new angles in pop, arguably the zenith of which was 1986’s The Colour Of Spring album, and the single Life’s What You Make It.

The year 1990 saw Life’s What You Make It get the remix treatment, tapping in to the baggy sound of the era, with emerging progressive maestros Fluke taking charge of the A-side, while Dominic Woosey of Gemini 6 and Neutron 9000 (and a myriad of other monikers) worked his magic on the flip.

For this week’s Throwback Thursday, we revisit the Woosey remix; all eight minutes and seventeen seconds of downtempo goodness.

The iconic piano riff of the original remains the driving force of the track, but the vibe is distinctly Ibiza, circa 1988, with whirling synths and heavy drums adding after-club ambience to Hollis and co’s original.

The standout moment for us occurs at 7:16, when a drugged-out breadown – ‘Everythings aaaaalriiiight…” – kicks back in for a final flourish.

RIP Mark Hollis, 4 January 1955 – 25 February 2019.

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